


The Boy From The Tower

by fadetomorrow



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-11
Updated: 2018-01-11
Packaged: 2019-03-03 10:08:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,919
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13338999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fadetomorrow/pseuds/fadetomorrow
Summary: On a clear, summer's day in Paris, Jongin looks through the lens of his camera and sees Chanyeol.





	The Boy From The Tower

**Author's Note:**

> First off, THANK YOU MODS for dealing with my numerous delays. If there ends up being a round 3, I shall make up for my actions this year. OTL
> 
> I don't quite know how successful I was in staying true to the prompt, but I hope somewhat relevant at least. What I actually wrote is eons different than what I had originally thought I'd write when I claimed, but I suppose that's how things go. OP, I hope you like this; everyone else, I hope you enjoy it too! ~~please don't let this be a mess~~

Paris is exactly how Jongin left it. Customs and Immigration hardly look at his passport or his face and he's officially in France barely half an hour after departing the plane. He doesn't have a lot of luggage with him, just a light backpack so he can carry his camera around the city and an oversized weekender bag. This had been a last minute decision — hop over the Atlantic for a long weekend instead of going home for Thanksgiving, the price of a ticket to Europe half that of a flight to California.

He remembered to bring some leftover cash from last time and easily buys a ticket for the train into the city.

Well, it's not exactly as he'd left it. The first time he visited two years ago it had been early summer with its long days of sunshine and barely a cloud in the sky. Now, there's a chill in the air and raindrops are hitting the window and blurring the scenery as it goes by. It's fine. Jongin hopes the colder weather means there won't be as many tourists joining him.

It's another 45 minutes on the train. Jongin rests his head against the window and dozes.

+

The first thing he does after checking in at the hotel is walk around until he finds a cafe to linger in, to let some caffeine settle in his system to get him through the rest of the day. It's still overcast out, the rain going nowhere fast, but Jongin stumbles upon a small cafe two blocks from the hotel, the storefront painted a rustic robin blue, its owner welcoming him into its cozy warmth.

He has a pain au chocolat and a cappuccino. Before he leaves, he hesitates two steps from the door and points to the display case, asking the owner for a baguette to go.

+

_June, 2 years ago._

To stave off jetlag, Jongin and Sehun made a plan to stop by as many tourist spots as they could handle until dinner. In a mere two hours, they crossed off the Champs-Elysees and Arc de Triomphe and spent the mid-afternoon lying around the mall in front of the Eiffel Tower.

Jongin took many photos and videos of Sehun, who was annoyingly photogenic still even operating on two hours of sleep. There had been Sehun standing in front of the arch with the breeze blowing through his hair and Sehun peering into patisseries and now Sehun sitting with his arms back and face tilted up into the sun and clear, blue sky.

Jongin heard them before he saw them, the sounds of two guys arguing the way best friends do over nothing in particular. He twisted around and spotted them 30 feet away, one sitting and the other lying on the lawn with a baseball cap over his face to block out the sun. They looked about the same age as he and Sehun, maybe a couple years older.

"What's the point of being in Paris if we're not going to go up the Eiffel Tower?"

"The point is to eat a croissant every morning and then walk around all day with a baguette in my hand."

Lifting his camera, Jongin focused his finder on the both of them and took a few wide shots, catching the one sitting up running a hand through his hair, brows furrowed at his friend. When he looked up from scrolling through the previews after, he makes direct eye contact with the stranger.

It's not the first time someone caught him taking a photo, but Jongin was taken aback by the steady way this person stared at him. He didn't come off offended or annoyed, but rather smug as if purposely striking a pose for the camera.

Jongin took the bait and snapped a shot.

"Let's go." Sehun flipped the collar of his denim jacket up and channeled James Dean as a lock of his hair fell over his eyes with the breeze. "I want to find some caffeine."

Jongin took one more look over his shoulder, but the two friends were caught up in their own conversation again. "Mh, yeah, let's go."

+

It's harder to get decent photos without a good source of light, but Jongin is patient and tinkers with exposure and aperture settings on his camera until the shots come out with the sharp contrast and heavy shadows he's looking for. He spends an hour or so walking around the Opéra just taking photos of locals attempting to weave through the pockets of tourists, capturing the poorly contained frustration of those just trying to get from point A to B in a timely manner.

It's not so different from home in DC.

Crowds aren't actually Jongin's favorite, but he bites the bullet and steps into the capitalist holiday jungle that is the Galeries Lafayette. He stays only long enough to get a few photos of the Christmas Tree already set up in the atrium, taking a couple on his phone to post online.

And to send to Chanyeol with the caption: _no one's been clumsy enough to bump into me._

It's not until he's back at the hotel in Le Marais, a sandwich bigger than his face opened in front of him stuffed with prosciutto and sun-dried tomatoes and caramelized onions that his phone buzzes.

_'because they're not me when i saw you'_

Jongin pretends he doesn't smile stupidly at his phone.

+

"What if we came all this way just to buy some Sulwhasoo moisturizers." Sehun picked up a tester bottle and pretended to pose like a Korean actress in an advert.

"What do you mean 'we'," Jongin mumbled, doing his best to protect his camera from people passing by and the sharp corners of the cosmetics shelves. They only came in here because someone Sehun knew said the atrium was worth seeing. Now that they were inside, Jongin felt that was up for debate.

Sehun's face reacted before his mouth could, his eyes widening as someone collided with Jongin's back hard enough to make him stumble forward.

"Shit, I'm sorr — oh hey, it's you."

There's no one in Paris who should recognize Jongin. Once he's stabilized himself, mostly because of Sehun catching him, he looked up — raising his head more than he's used to — to indeed find a familiar face. It's the one he took a photo of yesterday beneath the Eiffel Tower.

"Christ, Chanyeol, stop mauling down innocent pedestrians."

The not quite stranger — Chanyeol — rolled his eyes at his friend. "I'd rather this than spill my coffee all over a stranger's lap. _Twice._ "

"Spaces are _small_ over here, okay?"

Jongin continued to stand there despite wanting to disappear. He didn't like being around new people like this, under circumstances that he didn't create. Small talk was one of his worst skills.

"Hi, I'm Chanyeol. Can I see the photos you took?"

No one's ever asked Jongin outright to look at his work, not even his close friends and family. They knew that Jongin was protective over his photography and always wanted to touch them up before sharing them.

"You're making him uncomfortable," Chanyeol's friend said. "Consider learning his name first." He leaned in closer to Jongin. "You don't have to tell him."

But refusing seemed rude. "It's Jongin," he said, thumbing the cover of his camera lens absently. He supposed the rules were different when it's the subject of his photos asking to see. "I can delete them. The photos."

Chanyeol's eyes widened a little. "I don't want you to do that," he said, pointing to himself. "I love pictures of myself. Baekhyun, tell him."

"It's actually really annoying how narcissistic he is," Baekhyun said with an eye roll.

"Pot calling kettle black." Chanyeol turned to Jongin again. "Do you guys have plans for the rest of the day? Baekhyun needs to get his girlfriend something expensive, but we can ditch him to go to a cafe."

"Um, no plans," Jongin said. The only thing he was worse at than small talk was saying no. "We were going to get something to eat after this."

"Cool, Baekhyun and I walked by a decent looking place a couple blocks away."

"I can't believe you're ditching me during my time of need," Baekhyun said, but barely looked heartbroken about it. "I need someone to tell me if what I get for Hyeran is ugly."

"You can take Sehun," Jongin volunteered. "He's good to shop with."

Baekhyun's gaze swept up and down Sehun's outfit. "Yeah, I guess you look pretty fashionable. You should come with me."

"I can't believe I'm just getting passed off like this," Sehun said, but steps over to Baekhyun's side anyway. "What are you getting her? Chanel? Hermes? Louboutin?"

"I have no idea what any of those words mean," Baekhyun said.

Sehun pressed his lips together in a tight line. "You're incredibly lucky you met me," he said, already herding Baekhyun deeper into the store. He glanced over his shoulder. "I'll text you when we're done."

After they disappeared into the crowd, Chanyeol's arm dropped around Jongin's shoulders. "Okay, new travel buddy," he said, the corners of his eyes wrinkling when he smiled. "It's been an hour since I've had my last baguette, so let's go."

The bright lights from all the cosmetic stands formed a halo behind Chanyeol's head and softened his features. Jongin bit the inside of his cheek to keep from asking for another photo and instead let Chanyeol lead him out onto the streets of Paris.

+

It didn't seem like Chanyeol was familiar with the concept of personal space. The cafe they went into had wooden booths along the wall and Chanyeol slid right in next to Jongin instead of across from him. The server came by with their pastries and lattes.

"How long are you guys here? Are you only visiting Paris?"

Jongin's camera sat untouched at the end of the table. He slid his croissant closer to himself and picked off the delicate flakes and ate them. "Just for the rest of the week, we fly back Sunday."

"Where do you guys live?"

"DC area."

"Oh, sweet, Baekhyun and I are in New York, but we're gonna stop by London for a few days before heading back."

Jongin usually went up to New York a couple times a year, mostly to tag along when Sehun wanted to buy some outrageously expensive jeans. Anyone else might ask where exactly Chanyeol lived, which neighborhood, but Jongin pulled off a bigger piece of his croissant and shoved it in his mouth, looking outside as a tourist group marched past, everyone wearing matching turquoise shirts.

Chanyeol spun his latte slowly, his hand dwarfing the cup. Neither of them have taken a single sip yet. "Am I boring you already?" he said, perching his chin on his free hand, elbow propped on the tabletop. "You can tell me if I'm making you uncomfortable. I'd rather know than keep doing something you don't like."

Surprisingly, Jongin wasn't uncomfortable. The brief walk over here had been Chanyeol talking the whole time about all the things he and Baekhyun had done that morning. It had actually felt pretty normal. It was just. "You haven't asked to see the photos."

Chanyeol laughed. "We have time," he said, shrugging. "Baekhyun will agonize over what to get Hyeran. I wanted to just talk to you first, get to know you."

Oh. That was. "Why?"

"Why?" Chanyeol looked a little surprised and tapped his chin as he took a moment to formulate an answer. "Because you seem interesting to me and I want to find out if you're single and even a little bit not straight."

Now, Jongin was uncomfortable, not in a bad way, but he felt the tips of his ears warm suddenly and his heart rate doubled behind his ribcage. He stared hard at the leaf drawn on top of his latte.

"I wasn't expecting this conversation to go like this, but now that we're here," Chanyeol said, his body language very calm still. "Are you single? And not completely straight?"

Jongin just barely nodded, then added, "To both."

The admission was also, of course, an indication of interest in this person who spoke to him as if they had always known each other. Who radiated a warmth that made Jongin want to move closer instead of maintain his personal bubble. Who Jongin couldn't look at because if he did, he might be tempted to tell him everything he wanted to know.

Even still, it was difficult to miss the blinding smile which bloomed on Chanyeol's face.

+

It's cold and damp out, but not enough to prevent Jongin from his plans to stop by more tourist attractions. He takes the train to Place de la Concorde after another late breakfast and spends the next few hours on foot making his way to the Louvre before crossing the Seine and following the river to Notre Dame.

He never actually made it into the Louvre two years ago and the gloomy weather this time means once again there's an abnormally large group of people waiting for a reprieve from the annoying drizzle. The Mona Lisa could wait some more.

Most of his photos are of the locals and tourists: the meltdown of a toddler having to wait in line to get into the museum, a couple walking over a carpet of fallen autumn leaves along the Seine, and a group of old ladies standing in silence in front of the pews of Notre Dame.

The overcast sky doesn't dampen the spirits of those visiting Paris for the first time. Jongin captures stills of laughter but thinks none of them are quite as captivating as the one he's never gotten used to.

+

The line to enter the Louvre zig zagged ten rows deep, an indicator of the crowd they'd see inside. Jongin didn't need to see the Mona Lisa that badly. The sun was high in the sky again and Chanyeol was wearing a pale linen shirt tucked into ankle length slacks. They watched a few girls from Australia stand on the short pillars surrounding the museum and take photos of each other. After they left, Jongin looked to Chanyeol and said, "Can I take some more of you?"

Climbing up, Chanyeol asked very seriously how he should stand.

Behind Jongin, Sehun and Baekhyun didn't bother to stifle their commentary about not being associated with them. It didn't do anything to distract him from focusing his camera on Chanyeol's lanky form, asking him to turn this way and that, then taking a burst of shots as a gust of wind left Chanyeol's hair artistically disheveled.

"Do I look good?" Chanyeol said, crouching down to be somewhat eye level with Jongin.

Jongin scrolled through the photos and mentally noted how he wanted to touch up each one. Increase exposure on the first two, deepen the shadows on the third one. "Yeah," he mumbled, putting the lens cap back on.

"You look more than good."

It had been two days since they officially met. Two days of meeting up and listening to Chanyeol ramble about the city and everywhere else in the world he wanted to visit, but also his increasing homesickness. Jongin's learned that Chanyeol majored in Atmospheric and Oceanic studies at UCLA, then got his Ph.D at Stanford and he'll be returning to New York next week to start a postdoc at Columbia. It had also been two days of random factoids about climate change, even though Jongin already believed in it, but now he felt like he could take over David Attenborough's job.

And then, two days which had built up to this.

Jongin finally raised his head to find Chanyeol's face mere inches from his. He let his camera hang from his neck.

Chanyeol's hand was a solid warmth against the back of his neck. The kiss almost felt like it didn't happen, but the exaggerated gagging from the peanut gallery confirmed it did.

"I couldn't resist," Chanyeol said after as they crossed the Pont de Arts.

Resisting wasn't what Jongin would've wanted anyway.

+

They went to Trocadéro to watch the Eiffel Tower at night.

Jongin took photos and a video of the tower sparkling and glittering then sat on the shallow steps because it was good to take a break from viewing everything through a lens. Chanyeol joined him and in the silence between them Jongin was comfortable and at ease.

It was getting late and they wanted to catch the subway back to their hotels before midnight. Their dinner of steak frites made Jongin lethargic and he rested his head on Chanyeol's shoulder without warning, but only received a gentle hand in his hair in return.

"Baekhyun and Sehun get along pretty good," Chanyeol said, his hand falling to Jongin's back. Jongin hummed in agreement. "Do you want to switch with Baekhyun tonight?"

It took a few seconds for the implication to take root in Jongin's head. Their hotels were only a couple stops from each other on the same subway line. He could pick up a change of clothes and let Baekhyun be Sehun's roommate for the night.

He and Sehun were leaving in two days. With each passing hour, Jongin refused to acknowledge it more and more. Refused to think about returning to his mundane life and spending day after day in economic forecast analyses. Refused to think about how close New York was to DC but also far away enough that a spontaneous week in Paris would come to mean nothing.

"Yeah," Jongin said eventually, turning his face into Chanyeol's neck. He didn't have to think about anything else when Chanyeol was still right next to him. "Tomorrow, too."

The crowds slowly thinned around them. Chanyeol squeezed Jongin's waist. "Okay. Tomorrow, too."

+

The sleep which had been pulled heavily at Jongin's eyelids faded away like smoke when he stepped into Chanyeol's hotel room. It wasn't much different than his and Sehun's room, decorated in shades of burgundy and gold, the curtains a heavy velvet. The epitome of French decor.

The bed, however, was pristine white and the thick duvet sank under Chanyeol's weight like sitting on a marshmallow.

"I didn't ask you here to do anything in particular," Chanyeol said, his hands clasped in his lap. "Just wanted some time alone. We could talk or watch something or just sleep."

Future Jongin would hate himself for wasting this opportunity. He stepped in between Chanyeol's knees and ran his fingers through Chanyeol's hair, front to back, smiling softly when Chanyeol's eyes closed and he gave a pleased hum.

"You're stupidly nice to look at," Jongin said, which Chanyeol seemed to take as the compliment Jongin meant it to be. "I want to bring you everywhere and take photos." He ran his thumb along the rise of Chanyeol's cheekbone, then back down his jawline.

Turning into the touch, Chanyeol kissed Jongin's palm. "Then do it."

That's a conversation Jongin wanted to avoid. He lowered himself onto Chanyeol's lap. "I don't want to talk or watch something or just sleep."

Chanyeol's hands on Jongin's back were large and warm and pulled Jongin even closer. "Thank god."

The way Chanyeol handled Jongin was kind and gentle and made Jongin's chest tighten in ways he didn't like. He closed his eyes as Chanyeol kissed him and rid them of their clothes, relying on his hands instead to know where Chanyeol was and to guide Chanyeol down to where Jongin wanted his mouth to be.

It was embarrassing how fast Jongin came, but Chanyeol didn't seem to mind in the least, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand as he crawled back up Jongin's body. Even in the dim lighting, Jongin could still see the way Chanyeol's lips were spit slick and he pushed his hands through Chanyeol's hair again, messing it up more, hit with the sudden urge to have Chanyeol look at debauched as possible.

It had been a while since Jongin's slept with somebody. The last time had been a few months ago with a guy named Yixing who had been temporarily stationed at the Chinese embassy in DC. Knowing Yixing would only be in the States for a short while made it easy for both of them to meet up for sex and nothing more.

Now with Chanyeol, Jongin wondered if he had a thing for attracting guys with an expiration date.

Those thoughts were pushed away as Chanyeol continued to take him apart, his hands roaming every inch of Jongin's body. Every touch left Jongin increasingly desperate, not satisfied until Chanyeol was pressing into him, giving him that fullness that made his breath catch.

They didn't fuck as fast or hard as Jongin wanted. No matter how much Jongin begged for it, Chanyeol kept his pace steady and torturous, slow enough that they could still kiss and it was the intimacy of it all that had Jongin close to coming again.

In the end, Chanyeol tumbled over the edge first, his breath hot and ragged against the side of Jongin's neck. Before Jongin could even complain, Chanyeol pulled out and sat back, lifting Jongin's hips up. He ate Jongin out with a determination that would've been embarrassing for Jongin if it didn't feel so good, and even as Jongin came, Chanyeol shoved three fingers into him and fucked him until Jongin physically clawed up the bed to get away, his entire body trembling from the overstimulation.

It was a long time before Jongin could move again. Chanyeol left a kiss on his shoulder and went to shower. When he returned, Jongin expected it be his turn to clean up, but Chanyeol pushed Jongin's body into the soft duvet and stole more kisses, making them rock together until they were hard again.

Jongin gave up keeping track of how many times they fucked, only that by the time they were both too exhausted to keep going the city was completely still outside, the hour too late to be called night, but not yet morning either. In the quiet, Jongin watched Chanyeol's chest rise and fall and tried to comfort himself with the knowledge that there was still tomorrow.

He fell asleep not knowing why having more time felt worse than if this were it.

+

Jongin begins his last day in Paris a little earlier, though his morning routine is the same. Before he leaves the corner cafe, he takes a portrait of its owner who has already learned Jongin's name. Despite his protests, Jongin leaves with a bag full of free croissants, fresh out the oven.

There's no real plan. The weather is still gloomy at best and he doesn't feel like spending the day wandering around in the damp cold again. He decides to actually be a tourist for today, at least for a little while.

The Musée de l'Orangerie is tiny compared to the Louvre, but it's Jongin's favorite, and even though he's been here before, he studies the displayed works as if this is the first time he's seen them. He spends a decent amount of time downstairs in front of the Cezannes and Renoirs, then makes his way to the second floor. There's more people upstairs, but Jongin manages to find a spot to sit in the middle of the room, right between two couples.

The first room has his favorite Water Lilies pieces, The Clouds and Setting Sun. He stays there for almost an hour, never once taking his camera out.

It's when he ventures into the second room that he's hit with the undeniable fact that he wishes Chanyeol were here too. In fact, everywhere he's gone in the city this weekend, Chanyeol has been at the back of his mind. The sights Chanyeol would've liked to see again, the restaurants he would've liked to try

It's not a particularly negative feeling. But sitting in a room with other couples, even though there's plenty of families and solo visitors like himself too, makes Chanyeol's absence more noticeable. He checks the time on his phone, but it's too early for Chanyeol to be awake. Still, he takes a photo of Tree Reflections and sends it through with the message: _remember the one you liked?_

+

From the moment they woke, Chanyeol was pasted to Jongin's side. On the walk to meet Sehun and Baekhyun for brunch, Chanyeol curled his hand around Jongin's and didn't let go until they absolutely had to in order to eat.

Jongin met Sehun's knowing look many times, but pretended to be very interested in his banana pancakes.

Underneath the table, Chanyeol's leg shifted over and pressed up warm against Jongin's thigh.

+

Jongin is slowly making his way up the hills of Montmartre when his phone chimes.

_'it wasn't the painting i liked, it was you'_

+

It would have been a waste to have come all this way and not immersed themselves in some art.

They walked aimlessly around the Tuileries Garden under the midday sun. Jongin took some time and photographed Baekhyun and Sehun to keep from going home with a memory card filled with shots of Chanyeol.

They picked the Musée de l'Orangerie only because it was right there, but Jongin knew Sehun put in his vote for it because impressionism was Jongin's favorite art movement. Stopping by to see the Water Lilies installment was always on their to-do list for the week.

It was hardly a surprise that Chanyeol wasn't as big a fan of extremely famous paintings. Jongin watched over his shoulder as he took photos and overlaid light hearted commentary on top to post on his social media feeds. That was fine. Jongin found most of them funny.

Miraculously, there wasn't much of a crowd in the Monet rooms. Jongin walked slowly across each massive painting, taking in every brushstroke, each color which bled into the next. He only felt a little guilty when he noticed the other three sitting on the bench in the center of the room, Sehun on his phone and Chanyeol and Baekhyun chatting with each other. They seemed fine, so he continued taking his time.

He stopped finally and stood in front of Tree Reflections.

He didn't know how long Chanyeol had been standing next to him when he finally noticed his presence.

"Is this one your favorite?" Chanyeol said, resting his arm over Jongin's shoulder. It probably seemed casual to bystanders, but Chanyeol's palm pressed firm against Jongin's chest.

"I don't know yet."

Chanyeol hummed and rested his cheek just above Jongin's ear. "I think it's mine."

+

Many hours later, curled up with Chanyeol behind him and a heavy arm around his waist, Jongin tried to recall if he even saw Chanyeol look at the painting.

The last thought he had was hoping the sun never rose.

+

It's late when Jongin finally gets back from wandering the streets of Le Marais. The neighborhood is nearly devoid of people and all the stores long shuttered for the day. His flight is in nine hours, which means he has to be at the airport in seven which means he has to be on a train in six and awake again in five.

But there's a call he needs to make that can't wait until he's stateside again.

He's stripped down to his underwear and brushing his teeth when Chanyeol's face pops up on the screen. His hair's a mess and it only takes a couple seconds for Jongin to realize the cause of it is the child hanging onto his neck.

"Hey, babe," Chanyeol says, though his words are a bit choked from the small hands pulling back against his windpipe. "Sejin, please let Uncle Chanyeol breathe."

"No!" she squeals, high-pitched enough that Jongin's speakers crackle.

Chanyeol dips out of frame for a bit and Jongin chuckles at his new shaky view of the ceiling. He takes the chance to run off and rinse his mouth, returning in time to see Chanyeol hand Sejin back to her mom.

"Okay, let's try this again," Chanyeol says, taking the stairs, presumably to his old room. A moment later, Jongin sees the LA Lakers and Star Wars posters as Chanyeol flops onto his childhood bed. "Hi. Are you shirtless? Did you call me while shirtless knowing I'm with my family all weekend?"

Jongin rolls his eyes. "I'm going to bed after this and didn't pack pajamas."

"Hot."

"I shouldn't have called you."

Chanyeol laughs and turns onto his side, tucking his free hand under his head. "How's Paris solo been? Your photos looked nice."

"Yeah, they came out okay." Jongin opens up the folder of everything he's transferred to his computer so far and scrolls through everything. "But it would've been better if, I don't know."

Chanyeol grins like he knows exactly what Jongin's trying to say and that's both irritating and a relief. "Sorry, you know I would've gone with you if this weren't the only time I'd be visiting family this year," he says, itching his nose. "We could've been very romantic."

"It was actually pretty cold here all weekend and rained all day yesterday," Jongin says. "You would've been a big baby about it the whole time. All my photos of you would be you making that grimacing face you have like you just smelled something really bad."

Chanyeol bursts out laughing. "Shut up, I hate you."

"Tell that to the photos I took of you in New York last winter," Jongin says, mimicking the scrunched up, shivering expression Chanyeol ended up sporting in half the pictures.

"Are you going to be this mean when we move in together?"

Jongin gives a little shrug. "You knew what you were signing up for."

Chanyeol's smile softens and hearts practically shoot out of his eyes. "Yeah."

The dim lighting does little to hide Jongin's eye roll. "You're still coming down in two weeks?" he says, even though he already knows the answer. Chanyeol bought his train tickets last week.

"Yeah. Have you started looking at listings yet?"

Chanyeol is wrapping up his postdoc and, after some pretty grueling interviews, had received a job offer from NASA to join their team studying long-term meteorological trends. He doesn't start until February, but that only leaves a few weeks for him and Jongin to view apartments together, sign a lease, and move in.

Cohabitation in a relationship is a bit daunting, but mostly just overdue. The amount they've each spent over the past two years traveling between New York and DC was obscene and almost as much as splitting rent would be anyway.

Jongin actually can't wait to be able to just go home and for Chanyeol to be there and have that just be the normal, expected thing.

"Not yet. I'll do it the week before you get here and you can tell me which ones you like too."

Chanyeol grins. "Love how domestic we are already."

Jongin sighs fondly, then catches a glimpse of the time. "I should go to bed."

"All right," Chanyeol says, already blowing a kiss at the camera. "Text me when you land."

Jongin perches his chin on his hand and waits for Chanyeol to hang up first.

+

Jongin looked around the hotel room for anything he might have missed, but there was no trace of him left, not even the bed since he hadn't even slept in it the past two nights.

Sehun was already in the lobby checking out. Jongin grabbed the handle of his carry-on suitcase and continued to look everywhere except at Chanyeol next to him, prolonging the painful silence between them.

A week — less than a week, even — of knowing someone shouldn't make him like this. Yet his feet were rooted to the floor even though he had to leave in the next 15 minutes if he and Sehun were going to catch the train that would get them to the airport in time.

The touch on Jongin's shoulder made him flinch, but he at least kept from pulling away. He grabbed the suitcase with his other hand too, to keep from doing something stupid like clinging to Chanyeol's shirt and refusing to let go. His chest hurt and he hated it.

"You look like you're about to burst," Chanyeol said, prying Jongin's hands away so he could hold onto them. "Just say what you're thinking."

"A week wasn't enough."

"You could change your flight."

A week wasn't enough, but pushing off leaving would only be torture. He couldn't anyway, he's supposed to go right back to work tomorrow, but that was all moot if he couldn't even manage to leave the room.

Jongin covered his face with both hands, rubbing the heels of his palms against his closed eyes. "Shit, I need to go."

Chanyeol caught Jongin around the waist before he could take two steps. "Without saying goodbye?"

Saying goodbye to Yixing had been a non-event. With Yixing, they'd meet up at a bar and Jongin would listen to him talk about the slimy politicians he dealt with who had no business serving the public and then they'd go back to Yixing's place and fuck their stress away. They had a very clear, mutual understanding of what they had and it worked for them. When it came time for Yixing to return to China, they had met up for one last round of drinks and Jongin wished him good luck on his future endeavors.

But Chanyeol left him off kilter.

Chanyeol, who pulled Jongin's arms around his own waist and said, "Don't tell me you look so sick because you think we're never going to see each other again."

Jongin half laughed, half shuddered, leaving puffs of air against Chanyeol's shoulder.

"New York and DC are practically neighbors. I'm only going to be in Europe for another week. There's got to be 20 trains a day to DC. You're not going to be able to stop me."

Jongin hugged Chanyeol tighter. "Feelings are the worst."

"You think you got it bad," Chanyeol said, squeezing back just as tight. "Besides you're the one with all those photos of me, I barely got any of you."

Jongin pulled back and said, "If you want to see my face so bad, then come see it in person."

The kiss Chanyeol gives him was short and playful. "I'm extremely into all these new parts of your personality you're showing me."

It took a few more kisses and increasingly panicked texts from Sehun for Jongin to finally leave the room. Once downstairs, Sehun practically dragged Jongin out the door and into a waiting taxi.

"If you see any hot men between now and when I come visit, ignore them," Chanyeol said, leant over the rolled down window.

"We're not going to see anyone if you two don't stop your disgusting act so we can leave!"

When the taxi finally pulled away, Jongin turned around and took one last photo of Chanyeol alone at the end of the narrow cobblestone road. At the airport waiting to board, Jongin posted it online with only the caption: _the boy from the tower._

+

This time, much like the first, Paris had been good to Jongin. But as his flight descends into Reagan International, he's glad to see the lights of home and the familiar landmarks grow closer.

On the metro home, Jongin tells Chanyeol that he's made it back safely and starts counting down the days to when he can instead say, _I'll be home soon._

**Author's Note:**

> yikes this kind of meet cute would never happen in rl lol


End file.
